Long Melford
Long Melford is a village in Essex, England, with a population of around 2,898. It has 1 pharmacy, around 9 restaurants and cafés, 8 bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Sudbury, 3.9 km away. There were around 10 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence & sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Long Melford area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Braintree area is less deprived than the average in England (IoD2019). The wider council area has around 155,270 residents at roughly 254 people per km².
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 80th of 294 English council areas — better than 73% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
18°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 22° / 17° · 78% rain
- Tomorrow: 25° / 16° · Sunny
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:26Sunset 19:19
12h 52m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
19US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Crime
16 reported · July 2026▲ 60% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences5
- Burglary3
- Public order3
- Criminal damage & arson2
Neighbourhood team: Sudbury Rural North · Suffolk
Local policing priorities
- Numerous reports of ASB at Bures Recreational Ground where children will congregate and drink alcohol and other activities which is havin…
- Target those supplying drugs in our communities and protecting those vulnerable to associated exploitation
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
235 reported road collisions (2024)
67 killed or seriously injured · 294 casualties · 15.1 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
36 food businesses within 2 miles
- 34 rated 4–5 ★ (30 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Sudbury (4.5 km)
- 17 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Sudbury (Suffolk) (4.5 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£330,637 average▲ 2% YoY
Across Braintree · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,217 average monthly rent▲ 2.8% YoY
- 1 bed £853
- 2 bed £1,103
- 3 bed £1,359
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
9.2× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.2 times median annual pay (10.0× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 169.9p · ESSO (4.5 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 192.9p · ESSO (4.5 km)
1 station within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
9 charging locations within ~8 km
- 1 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 50 kW
- Nearest: School Lane (0.9 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools6
- Sports pitches5
- Playgrounds1
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Braintree District Council supports Recycle Week 2026 and calls residents to rescue their recyclables· 11 Sept 2026
- Braintree District Council Leader Cllr Tom Cunningham’s open letter to Essex County Council Leader Cllr Peter Harris on Operation Vanguard and Wethersfield Asylum Accommodation Centre· 11 Sept 2026
- Braintree Town Hall to host inspiring wedding fayre this September· 11 Sept 2026
- New community centre completed in Witham· 8 Sept 2026
- Man prosecuted for operating as a scrap metal dealer without a licence· 4 Sept 2026
Source: Braintree Council
Population
155,270 residents in Braintree · 254/km²
- Under 16: 18%
- 16–64: 61%
- 65+: 20%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Less deprived than the average in England
Ranked 203 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,280 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (29% of 71,120)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
68 schools · 21,326 pupils
52 primary · 8 secondary · 8 other
Ofsted: 30 of 33 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (91%)
63inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Honywood SchoolGood
- Lift MaltingsRequires improvement
- Notley High School and Braintree Sixth FormRequires improvement
- Tabor AcademyRequires improvement
- Alec Hunter Academy
- Hedingham School and Sixth Form
- Lift New Rickstones
- The Ramsey Academy, Halstead
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Braintree
Care & health services
1,571 CQC-registered services
- Care homes407
- GP practices230
- Dentists309
- Homecare agencies475
- Hospitals & hospices39
CQC ratings: 87% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 17 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Essex
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Long Melford)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 189 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
215 applications decided
85.6% granted · 184 granted, 31 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Recent votes:
- AyeTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading
- AyeClosure motion
- AyeSocial Housing Bill [Lords]: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading
- NoDraft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Conservative majority
- Lab 9
- Con 25
- Grn 4
- Ref 1
- Oth 10
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools1
- GPs & clinics1
- Pharmacies1
- Supermarkets1
- Parks & greens10
- Restaurants & cafés12
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
7,490 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
5 jobs advertised
e.g. Online Biology Tutor - Part Time, Online Biology Tutoring Job in Long Melford – Flexible Schedule, Online Physics Tutor - Part Time
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£826 median full-time weekly pay
2.7% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£26,019 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
48% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 68,719 certificates
10.1% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
75% low-carbon electricity
Wind 40% · Nuclear 36% · Gas 17% · Imports 8%
73 gCO₂/kWh · low intensity
Latest estimate for East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 83.9 yrs women · 80.5 yrs men
75% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.3
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.6
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.1
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in South Suffolk:
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership402 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office359 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership315 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Review the evidence and fund the addition of SMA to the Newborn Screening Test297 local signatures · 151,287 nationwide
- Automatic extension for Non- Molestation order when it is breached225 local signatures · 9,831 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
Long Melford · 0.3 kmLong Melford, colloquially and historically also referred to as Melford, is a large village and civil parish in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is on Suffolk's border with Essex, which is m…
- Long Melford F.C. · 0.3 km
Long Melford Football Club is a football club based in Long Melford, Suffolk, England. Affiliated to the Suffolk County FA, they are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Division One North and play at Ston…
Liston, Essex · 0.9 kmListon is a small village and civil parish in North Essex, England, located one mile WSW of Long Melford, on the banks of the River Stour. Its parish church dates back to the 12th century, in parts. The parish borders…
Melford Hall · 1.0 kmMelford Hall is a stately home in the village of Long Melford, Suffolk, England. Since 1786 it has been the seat of the Parker Baronets and is still lived in by the Hyde Parker family. Since 1960 it has been owned by…
Long Melford railway station · 1.0 kmLong Melford railway station is a disused station that served the village of Long Melford in Suffolk, England. It opened in 1865 as "Melford" and was renamed "Long Melford" in 1884. The station was on the Stour Valley…
Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford · 1.5 kmThe Church of the Holy Trinity is a Grade I listed parish church of the Church of England in Long Melford, Suffolk, England. It is one of 310 medieval English churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Braintree with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Long Melford?
- Long Melford is a town in Essex, England, in the Braintree local authority.
- What is the population of Long Melford?
- Long Melford has an approximate settlement population of 2,898.
- How deprived is Long Melford?
- The Braintree local authority, which includes Long Melford, is less deprived than the average in England on the IoD2019.